Get in shape – but safely!

By Physiotherapist Helmut Wille

Although – or perhaps because – the Maltese population carries the doubtful record of having the most overweight members in Europe, there has been an ever-increasing trend in recent years to ‘go to the gym’. Of course you don’t have to be overweight to dream of a firm, lithe body, with supple muscles in the right places. Such dreams lure more and more young and not-so-young onto treadmills and into other work-out machines.

Few novices at exercising think that their workout could actually hurt them. Although reputable gyms have trained instructors, who will work with you to organise a well-thought out plan for your intended exercise, you could end up in a less organised place, and left to your own devices.
 

Most gym injuries appear as a direct consequence of overuse and fatigue. While it is totally natural that your entire body aches on the morrow after your first couple of gym visits, these kinds of muscle pains will gradually cease once your body becomes accustomed to the new routine of exercises you’re putting it through.

Very few gym injuries are the results from spectacular accidents. One cause for injury is the lack of stretching and warming-up exercises before the actual workout. Muscles that are flexible are far less likely to be injured than tight ones! And by the way, a cooling down period after your workout is just as important!

How can serious repercussions of your work-out be avoided?

When working out, it is particularly important to make sure that you use correct technique, vary your exercises occasionally, and that you don't concentrate your efforts in one area to the exclusion and detriment of others.

The terms ‘overuse injury’ and ‘fatigue injury’ are pretty self-explanatory. Especially if you are new to a particular exercise, it will do you more harm than good to try and make up for lost years in a couple of sessions! Typical overuse injuries include aching joints and inflammation of the tendon.

Fatigue-based injuries are often more serious, because you're tired and maybe not using good form. Don't attempt to break a new personal record when you're fatigued, because it increases your chances of injury. Fatigue-based injuries are usually minor sprains and strains.

Physiotherapy plays an important role in the multi-disciplinary approach to the management of sports injuries. However, prompt assessment and diagnosis is vital in the successful treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries. So if your pain persists beyond the couple of days’ stiffness you would expect after introducing a new exercise, it is wise to seek medical advice!

What is Physiotherapy?

The word physiotherapy has its roots in the Greek word physis (= nature). The basic principle of physiotherapy is to exert stimuli on the organism, which are already present in its natural environment, for example, the application of heat or cold, or certain active or passive movements. All of these are already ‘known’ to the organism from its everyday life. The difference is that within physiotherapy such stimuli are not used by chance and untargeted, but rather consciously controlled and targeted. One example is the application of cold in the treatment of inflammations.

The body’s responses to these stimuli come from the natural spectrum of reactions. For example, the skin automatically reacts to cold, at first with paleness, later with redness and warming. Such natural reactions cannot be influenced consciously. If the nervous system has to respond time and time again to the same stimulus, it will change its response slightly, sooner or later. In order to become therapeutically effective, the stimulus has to be applied more than once – if possible within a course of treatment.

Apart from the direct response and its gradual change over time, such physiotherapeutic measures often also have indirect effects. The repeated, alternating application of heat and cold can toughen the body against colds, such as regular sauna visits.